Rig Finder index / 32B / Coding assistant / Ohio

Best rig to run a 32B model for coding assistant in Ohio

For a 32B model at this workload, the RTX 3090 (used) pays off fastest — break-even ~9 months, keeping $3,382 over 3 years versus Claude Sonnet 4.6.

Same workload, same cloud, same electricity — we swap only the hardware and rank by real break-even. Rigs that can't run a 32B model are shown, never recommended. Compared against Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/M in, $15/M out); change the cloud in the lab.

Every build, ranked

RigBuild32B tok/sLocal/moBreak-evenVerdict
RTX 3090 (used)best payoff $1,200 24estimated $41.06 ~9 mo OWN
RTX 4090 $2,300 38estimated $72.46 ~18 mo HYBRID
2× RTX 3090 $2,250 30estimated $75.54 ~18 mo HYBRID
Mac M-series $3,000 20estimated $84.88 ~23 mo HYBRID
RTX 5090 $3,500 60estimated $108 ~28 mo HYBRID
Mini-PCtoo small for 32B $750 $22.50 ~6 mo OWN

Assumes coding assistant use: ~15M tokens/month, 3h/day active, 5h/day idle, at Ohio electricity ($0.161/kWh). Speeds are our estimates; community-measured tok/s live on the interactive Rig Finder and the benchmarks board. Every formula is on the methodology page.

Run this with your exact numbers →

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